History Column: Despite snake and deer attacks, resorts were popular Pasadena vacation spots

The Pasadena Daily News ran stories about Pasadenans at seaside and mountain resorts in August, 1909. It gave the paper the opportunity to print lots of local names and perhaps gain more readers.

It is surprising how many mountain resorts were filled, one of which was Strain’s Camp near Mt. Wilson, pictured here.

The paper wrote, “Indian Day, one of the most unique events on the mountains, will be celebrated next Thursday on Mt. Wilson, when the guests of the hotel and Strains’s and Sturdevant’s camps will join the celebration and become Indians for the time being. The guests will all doff civilian’s garb for the blankets, moccasins, beads and finery of the noble red men of the forest and plains.”

The paper listed names of all the arrivals at the camps. Some we recognize were Miss Alice Coleman [the musician] and her mother, Mrs. Theodore Coleman. Also from Duarte, my relatives, Miss Ida May Shrode, and her sister, Miss Mary Ellen Shrode.

“The guests of Switzer’s camp are living off the fat of the land. Yesterday, they had venison prepared in many ways as a result of the skill of Guy Bisbee of Pasadena, who brought down a 120-pound buck in the West Fork of the San Gabriel.”

Guests from Switzer’s camp had a narrow escape when they shot a large buck. The wounded buck prepared to charge them with its antlers arrayed until a Miss Greta Kessler fired another shot that dropped the animal. This one weighed about 160 pounds.

Harry Meyers of Pasadena and a friend were hiking in Bear Canyon when a coiled rattlesnake struck at him without warning. They killed the snake and discovered its rattles were missing. Later, a Ranger told them that someone else had stunned the snake and cut off the rattles but the snake had revived and attacked Meyers.

A tennis tournament was held at Sturdevant’s camp. Also at Sturdevant’s, “The regular weekly hop will be held and several ”500” and euchre parties are also planned.” One of the largest groups was Rev. and Mrs. Charles Kent of Monrovia who were chaperoning thirty members of the Epworth league of the Monrovia Methodist Church.

Carter’s Camp featured dancing parties. A highlight at Orchard’s camp was a taffy pull.